The following statement is from Damaris Gonzalez, TOP Statewide Immigration Lead Organizer, in response to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issuing an executive order instructing hospitals to collect data on patients’ immigration status:
“Gov. Abbott politically scapegoats immigrants to distract from his policy failures.
“Separating and dehumanizing members of our communities – people who are our family, friends, and neighbors – is straight out of the MAGA playbook.
“As his idol Donald Trump flails in the polls, struggling to connect with his racist, backwards vision for our country, Gov. Abbott is more than ready to demonize fellow Texans, because just like Trump he views Black and Brown immigrants as lesser than.
“Hospitals should serve peoples’ health needs, not operate as intrusive immigration checkpoints.”
Irie Howard, TOP Statewide Healthcare Lead Organizer, added:
“Healthcare is a human right. Each and every person in our state deserves to have that right upheld.
“If Greg Abbott honestly cared about saving our state money while improving the health of Texans, he would have expanded our Medicaid program in 2015, his first year as governor.
“This reckless executive order will put the health of everyday Texans’ at risk, as it’s intended to stoke fear and uncertainty in the more than 1.5 million undocumented immigrants who call this state home.
“As Texans, we care for each other and look out for each other – no matter the color of our skin, the language we speak, or our documentation status. We are NOT letting our governor divide us.”
###
About Texas Organizing Project:
TOP organizes Black and Latino communities in Dallas, Harris, Bexar, and Fort Bend counties with the goal of transforming Texas into a state where working people of color have the power and representation they deserve. For more information, visit organizetexas.org.